Walkera Vitus 320 – Competition for the DJI Mavic Pro?

In the words “Mavic competitor” you should be stupid: what was not already in the past for copies and clones, all of which were based on the design of the popular DJI drone. The Vitus 320 from Walkera however could be a serious alternative. What you need to know about the 4K video drone, you can read here.

Walkera is so far known above all for racing drones, so-called FPV racers. Known models include Furious, Rodeo and Runner. However, the Chinese company also has more expensive video drones in the range, including the Voyager 4, which costs more than 10,000 €. The Vitus 320 now offers a category that is currently in high demand: easy, easy to learn, good (4K) Camera and easy to transport, thanks to collapsible parts. The drone was announced early 2017, meanwhile they list most of the China shops, even if it is not already in stock.

The contest for the “cooler” design

Since she plays in the same league as the DJI Mavic Pro, she must also compete with this. On the outside, the two drones do not take much, even if slightly different design approaches are pursued. The arms of the Vitus can also be folded in so that they occupy considerably less space. It is slightly narrower and higher than the Mavic, and it is about 100 grams heavier with 890g.

The remote control is of course similar in structure, fairly simple and looks chic. And the appearance of the remote control really should not be a criterion when buying a drone. A notable difference, however, is that here the smartphone is attached above and not, as with DJI, below.

The flight characteristics – also suitable for beginners?

The Vitus 320 is, of course, packed with technical gadgets to make the flying experience more pleasant and easy. Altitude Hold and GPS positioning for the position determination are in this price class really self-evident, and similar to the Mavic also has the Vitus sensors, which can detect and prevent imminent collisions, even if the range is somewhat lower. For this, obstacles are recognized not only before the drone, but also on both sides, which the Mavic has ahead of them.

It does not come quite close to the Mavic. A return-to-home function (RTH) and a tracking mode, in which the drone tracks a marked object, are integrated.

Apropos Range: According to the data sheet, the drone can fly far up to 1.5km before the connection to remote control becomes too weak. This would also be significantly less than the DJI drone, which creates four kilometers. This is strictly speaking no real minus point, since in Germany anyway can not be flown outside the visibility. And of course, we all stick to that.

The battery capacity is 5200mAh on the paper. The maximum flight time varies slightly between 22 and 28 minutes.

The camera

The camera triggers videos in 4K with 30 fps, in Full HD are also 60fps in it. It sits on a 3-axis gimbal for stabilization. The angle of incidence is 85 ° slightly larger than the 78.8 ° of the Mavic Pro. This is not a huge but recognizable difference and can be both positive and disturbing, depending on what you record.

Photos can also be triggered with a hand gesture detected by the camera.

Something unusual is an Augmented Reality function of the app. Then the display shows objects that can be collected with the drone, or other drones, which have to be chased and fired with a laser gun. Everything, of course, only in the virtual reality. Whether this mini-game is really fun or failed due to a lack of implementation, remains to be seen.

Conclusion and outlook

What Walkera promises here is definitely interesting. Although the Vitus does not quite reach the functional range of the DJI Mavic Pro: The range is lower and the recording modes are not so numerous. This is the drone 100 € cheaper, even now, where the Mavic has already declined significantly in the price.

DJI also speaks of the existing European support, and the brand is much more established than Walkera. What do you all mean? Are you open for cheap alternatives from unknown manufacturers, or do you prefer to pay more for the well-known models?